


Meanwhile in Mauritius

by veryveryverytemporarily



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Fluff, M/M, a tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 12:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10853847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veryveryverytemporarily/pseuds/veryveryverytemporarily
Summary: Robert and Aaron loved up, in their own way. Three scenes set in Mauritius.





	Meanwhile in Mauritius

‘Careful!’

‘‘mm alright!’

‘I know you’re alright, but come here anyway. That’s it, just put your arm round my shoulder will ya?’

Aaron pulls him close, taking his weight. He slips his other hand around his waist, enjoying the feel of the softness of that part of his body through his shirt.

Robert’s head lolls against his. His arm rubs against the sunburn on Aaron’s shoulders.

It was that last mojito that did it. Aaron had stuck to beer, but typically, Robert had insisted on trying every cocktail on the menu.

‘Take us to the beach! Let’s go skinny dipping!’ Robert slurs.

‘What, and get us arrested? No thanks!’

Robert staggers and Aaron holds on tighter, curling his fingers around his shirt. He knows that under the white cotton, Robert’s skin is warm and golden from the days spent in the sun, and covered in a myriad of tiny new freckles. Aaron spends hours every day tracing them with his eyes and lightly with his fingertips, trying to keep up.

‘Did I ever tell ya how much I fancy ya?’ Robert nudges against his shoulder, misjudging his own strength, almost knocking Aaron sideways.

‘Only about twenty times in the last half hour.’

‘I just fancy ya so much.’ He nuzzles against Aaron’s ear.

‘Thanks, but, do you think you could just concentrate on trying to walk in a straight line, right now?’

Robert pouts. The hotel is almost in sight.

‘You’re going to regret this in the morning.’ Aaron points out, but his voice is soft, loving.

‘I’ve done some terrible things. My life is full of regrets.’

Aaron rolls his eyes. Robert has gone from lusty drunk to maudlin drunk. He stops dead, Aaron turns still holding him, now with a hand under each elbow. He watches him with amusement as he sways to keep his balance.

‘I’ve never regretted meeting you.’ Robert declares. His eyes are fixed on Aaron’s face.

Aaron sighs, but when he looks back in his eyes he’s melting.

‘Me neither.’ He whispers. At heart, it’s always been true. Always.

Robert lunges forwards and into a kiss. It’s wet and sloppy, and Robert half misses his mouth, but Aaron doesn’t mind. All that matters is that he’s with his husband, on honeymoon, and that he’s never been this happy.

‘Come on, let’s get you back and into bed.’

‘I like the sound of that!’

Aaron likes the sound of it, too. You never know with Robert, he can be pretty determined, drunk or not, he might fall straight asleep, on the other hand, he might just not.

 

 ***

  

They weave their way up the hill, Robert fussing about the climb, the sun, his hangover. Every five minutes he stops with a sigh, looking down at the kaleidoscope of turquoise sea breaking against the golden sand below.

Aaron holds the rolled-up beach towels under one arm. Robert carries the remains of their picnic.

‘This do you?’ Aaron points a finger, indicating the wooden bench, half shaded by tall trees.

Robert lowers his sunglasses, traces his fingers over the seat of the bench and inspects them with a frown.

‘Suppose so.’

He throws himself down with a pout, and sits back, manspreading, folding his arms. He looks up at Aaron who’s still standing.

‘Come on, then. This was your idea.’

When Aaron sits, their thighs touch together. He can see a bead of sweat glistening, caught in the cupid’s bow of Robert’s top lip. His nose is peeling again, he notices. He wants to kiss him, but looks around instead, taking in the view.

‘Reminds me a bit of Filey.’

‘What? Crazy golf and penny arcades?’ Robert mocks.

‘Alright, not that, but, I dunno, a bench on a hill, above the sea.’

The problem is they’ve been there for so long now, and while it’s perfect, and it _is_ perfect, and half of him wants it to last forever, the other half of him is ready to go home, move into the Mill, start their life, make it official.

‘Never been to Filey.’ Robert says at last.

‘Wha..? You’re kidding me?’

‘No. You’ve never taken me.’ There’s a hint of reproach in Robert’s voice.

‘We can go then, together, when we get back, if that’s what you want?’

Robert shuffles round, swings his legs up onto the bench and then moves down until he’s lying with the back of his head resting on Aaron’s thighs.

Aaron looks around nervously, hoping they won’t attract attention. He wants to tangle his fingers in Robert’s hair, trace his jawline. He swallows, then forages in the bag instead for a distraction.

He can hear Robert’s breathing lighten. He’ll be better when he’s slept a bit.

He finds an apple and a knife. He concentrates, tongue between his teeth, wanting to peel it in one long slither.

It was Liv who'd started the whole, _throw the peel over your left shoulder and it’ll show the initial of your future husband_ nonsense. They were in the hotel room at the time, avoiding the midday heat.

‘Already married.’ Aaron had objected, but it hadn’t stopped her.

‘F’ she’d read.

‘Stop messing about, Liv!’

‘You’re right, it’s an E, that bit, there.’

Aaron knocked it with his toes, scattering bits of peel.

‘Just quit it, will ya?’

‘J, or C.‘ Liv tilted her head trying to get a better read on the remains.

‘Liv, I’m warning ya!’

‘You can work your way through the whole alphabet, it doesn’t make any difference to me. Already put a ring on it.’ Robert had said eventually with a smirk.

Now the white apple flesh smells sweet in the hot air. He twists, leaning slightly so the peel drops to the ground. He reads it, in spite of himself, chewing on the apple. With a stretch of the imagination he could argue that it looks like an S.

He reaches a hand down, touching Robert’s shoulder, Robert turns onto his side muttering.

‘Sticky fingers. Just keep them away from me, will ya?’

‘Not what you usually say.’ Aaron remarks. He sucks his fingers one by one, then wipes them against his T-shirt.

‘Keep still, will ya? Can’t you stop fidgeting for one minute?’

Aaron listens as Robert’s breathing changes again. He knows from the weight of him that he’s fallen asleep properly now. He looks down, tracing his body with his eyes, the curve of his shoulder under the white T-shirt, the line of his hip, the solid width of his thigh. He wants to set it to memory, this moment, here, his husband sleeping on his lap, on a hill above the sea, with Emmerdale a million miles away. He can wait a while longer to go back if this is what he gets.

Time passes, then Robert sighs, opening his eyes.

‘Hi there.’ He grins and Aaron smiles back. Robert, sitting up, can read his face like a book.

‘What have you done?’

‘I might have, done something.’ Aaron stretches his lips, looking guilty.

Robert follows the direction of his finger. He sees the rough carving in the wood of the bench, reads it, silently.

_A ♡ R 4ever 2017_

Aaron watches his eyes, sees a flicker of sadness, wonders why.

‘Robert? What?’

Robert swallows.

‘You can get arrested for that.’

‘I know.’ 

That’s why then. He blows air from his lips with relief. He’d thought, maybe, for a moment, that there was something else.

Then Robert’s fingers curl into the material of his T-shirt and he's pulling him close, throwing caution to the wind.

‘You can get arrested for this, too.’  Robert says. Aaron looks at his eyes, then down at his mouth. He wets his lips, his heart pounding in his chest, as it always does, always will.

 

***

 

‘I could pee on it, if that would help?’

‘Not my kink, mate.’

Liv put her hands over her ears.

‘For God’s sake, you two!’

They’re back on the sand. The pedalo had been Robert’s idea, diving off it into the lagoon had been Robert’s idea too, but the jelly fish had seemingly had ideas of its own.

Now Aaron has a red streak like a whiplash circling his thigh. He sits on the towel, while Robert stands, swaying with agitation, hands on hips, casting a shadow and dripping sea water over him. Squinting, Aaron can see the halo of his bleached blonde hair standing in wet spikes over his worried face.

‘I’m fine! I’ll be fine,’ he says weakly, blowing air from his cheeks.

‘Well, you’re obviously not!’  Robert rolls his eyes.

Liv pushes a wet braid of hair back over her shoulder, and frowns over Robert’s phone, trying to shade the screen from the sun.

‘It says here, vinegar.’

So they make their way back to the hotel, Robert steering a limping Aaron, while Liv follows behind, a damp towel round her waist, scrolling Rob’s camera roll until, glancing back, he notices and quickly swipes his phone back off her.

‘Oi! That’s private!’

‘So it should be! Talk about kinks!’

‘Can you two just quit it?’  Aaron says.

Back in their hotel room, Liv searches the mini bar, while Robert answers the door to a young receptionist in a hotel uniform, holding a bottle of vinegar in his hand.

He suggests Aaron stands in the shower, then unscrews the bottle top, one twist at a time. Robert hovers behind them, frowning at Aaron’s translucent white T-shirt over his still damp swimming trunks as he waits.

The hotel receptionist pours the vinegar over the sting.

Aaron gasps.

‘Oh God! That’s amazing, mate!’

The receptionist blushes.

‘It won’t hurt as much after this, but still, you can take a hot shower for the pain.’

‘Thanks! Bet you’ve done this often enough.’

‘I bet you have!’ Robert snarls. Aaron notices his jaw clenching. He hobbles after them as Robert steers the receptionist to the door and sees him out.

‘You were flirting!’ Robert sounds injured. ‘ _Bet you’ve done this often enough_.’

Aaron opens and closes his mouth.

‘No I wasn’t! I don’t even know how to flirt.’

‘Well it sounded a lot like flirting to me!’

'Yeah! And you should know.'

'What does that mean?'

Aaron reaches a hand up to Robert’s chest, where he can feel his heart racing. He gets it, that feeling, he knows it well enough, and all he wants to do is make Robert feel better. So, he pulls him close, his chin on Robert’s shoulder, his hand stroking his husband’s back.

‘You know I love you.’

‘Ew! I’m outta here!’ Liv makes for the door. She lets herself out with a rattle of miniatures echoing from her beach bag.

When she’s gone, Aaron looks at Robert, his eyelids lowered.

‘So I’m still in pain, maybe you can help me?’

‘Yeah?’

Aaron moves his fingers under the hem of Robert’s T-shirt, brushing them against the tender skin of Robert’s waist, still warm from the sun.

‘Well, you know that hot shower? I think it needs to be really..., hot.’  Aaron’s biting his lip, and he can feel Robert’s heart is racing again, this time in a good way.

‘Thought you said you don't know how to do that?’

'What?'

'Flirt?'

‘Well I can flirt with my husband, can’t I?’

Robert raises his eyebrows. He reaches forwards and traces a single finger slowly all the way down the front of Aaron’s white T-shirt, and then further down. Aaron inclines his head and winks. Taking Robert’s hand, he leads him back into the bathroom.

 


End file.
